A View Most Glorious, by Regina Scott, 2021, Revell (Baker Publishing Group)

A woman of the 1890s victoriously fights her way to the top of treacherous Mount Rainier, overcoming personal challenges as well as physical.

Earning women’s rights is the theme of this historical fiction, based on real history. Mount Rainier, 58 miles northwest of Tacoma, Washington, rises to 14,411 feet. The views, both of it and from it, are stunning. The setting of this story takes place from Tacoma to the top of the mountain, and we get a taste of life and circumstances in the 1890s.

The Suffragettes fought for women’s rights in an era when they couldn’t vote, or do many other things they were capable of. As a woman, I appreciate these women who took a stand in spite of adversity, contributing to the freedoms I live in now. They were hard won.

Ever relevant themes depicted in personal characters.

The author depicts well the expectations and virtual prisons that bound people of the time. But Cora, the main character, refuses to settle for all that. And she finds a match in her mountain guide, Nathan, also a person who despises the falsity and confinement of high society.

Not only the Suffragettes revolted against the status quo. Uprisings of angry men who were either out of work or were not paid fairly caused panic in the city. They also demonstrated for rights.

The author cleverly weaves all these threads into a personal story of family, conflicts, a treacherous suitor, and a mountain romance. She brings out the sense of propriety of the upper class, contrasted by the raw nitty gritty of the lower class. Her writing style is pleasant to read, exemplifying the English of the day.

Characters are distinctly portrayed. Coraline is strong and determined, a fighter for justice. Nathan undergoes change of heart as he reconsiders the life he has run away to. Coraline’s would-be fiancé is truly creepy. Her mother is conniving, and her step-father an angel. There is a good balance between description, inner thoughts, and conversation.

I’m glad I chose A View Most Glorious. I will happily choose Regina Scott’s books again. Thank you, Revell, for sending me the paperback copy to review. A real pleasure.

Connect with the author at www.reginascott.com. Choose more books from this publisher at RevellBooks.com.

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